A decision on your application will be made on the basis of all
the information you provide, your circumstances and the legal
requirements that apply. If your circumstances change in any
way after you make your application you must inform the
department immediately. Failure to do so can lead to
cancellation of your visa (if it is granted).
Applicants who provide false or misleading
information may either have their applications refused,
or their visa permitting them to remain in Australia
cancelled.
If you:
• are applying in Australia;
• do not already hold a student visa; and
• you are in Assessment Level 2 or 3.
you must provide exceptional reasons for the grant of your
visa in Australia.
Student visa application checklist
Specific application checklists providing detailed information
on student visa requirements based on your individual
circumstances are available at
www.immi.gov.au/students/checklists/
Qualifying visas for student visa applications lodged in
Australia
If you are applying in Australia for a student visa you must
either be the current holder of a qualifying visa or have held a
certain visa no more than 28 days prior to making your
application. More information on qualifying visas is available
from the department’s website
www.immi.gov.au/students/students/qualifying-visasfor-student-visa-applications-lodged-australia.htm
Students and the skilled migration programme
Australia has a well-deserved reputation for high-quality
education and training. We continue to welcome overseas
students, and appreciate the contribution they make to both
academic life and the communities in which they live.
People who wish to study in Australia may be granted a student
visa that entitles them to come to Australia on a temporary
basis for a specified period to undertake study at an Australian
educational institution. While many overseas students make a
decision to apply for a permanent visa upon completing their
studies, this is an entirely separate process and there is no
guarantee that, on the basis of having held a student visa, a
person will be invited to make an application for a permanent
skilled migration visa at the end of their studies.
The skilled migration programme is highly competitive and
the programme is designed to be responsive to Australian
labour market conditions. For skilled migration, Australia
draws from the highest ranking clients with Expressions of
Interest in SkillSelect. A person’s ability to be invited to apply
for skilled migration will be determined by the person’s skills,
experience and attributes, but also by the level of competition
for skilled migration to Australia, regardless of whether or not
they have previously been in Australia.
It is important to note that student visas are aimed at
achieving an educational outcome, and students should
choose a course of study based on their own interest and the
quality of the course. Students should not make educational
choices solely on the basis of hoping to achieve a particular
migration outcome, as the skilled migration programme will
continue to change and adapt to Australia’s economic needs.
Photographs
Applying outside Australia – enclose 4 recent
passport-sized photographs of yourself and all family members
included in this application.
Applying in Australia – enclose one recent passport-sized
photograph of yourself and all family members included in
this application.
Health requirements
All applicants must meet Australia’s health requirements. You
and any family members included in this application may be
required to undergo a chest x-ray and medical examination.
More information on health requirements is available from the
department’s website www.immi.gov.au/allforms/healthrequirements/health-exam.htm
Members of your family unit
The term ‘members of your family unit’ covers your partner
and any dependent children of you or your partner who are
unmarried, not in a de facto relationship and who have not
turned 18 years of age. School-age dependants are children of
you or your partner who are unmarried, not in a de facto
relationship and who have turned 5, but have not yet turned 18.
Members of your family unit may apply for visas that will allow
them to join you in Australia. They may apply for visas at the
same time as you, or after you have been granted a student
visa. If you are, or expect soon to be, in Australia on a student
visa other than a Foreign Affairs or Defence Sector visa
subclass 576, and your family members intend to apply
separately for a student visa outside Australia, you will need to
complete form 919 Nomination of student dependants. Either
you or your family member must lodge form 919 Nomination
of student dependants. For quicker visa processing, you
should send this completed form and other supporting
documentation to your family members for them to lodge at
the relevant Australian Government office or Service Delivery
Partner. More information on visa lodgement arrangements is
available from the department’s website
www.immi.gov.au/help/locations/pages/default.aspx
Note: If you are processed at Assessment Level 3 and intend
to undertake a course of 12 months or less in duration,
members of the family unit are not permitted to accompany
you to Australia on a student visa.
All members of your family unit must be included in
your application form 157A, whether or not they intend to
become applicants for a student subclass 570–576 visa. If you
are the holder of a student subclass 570–576 visa and a
member of your family unit was not included in your
application form, they will not be eligible for grant of a student
subclass 570–576 visa as a member of your family unit, unless
they give evidence that they became such a member (eg. you
got married or had a child) after the decision to grant you the
student subclass 570–576 visa was made.
A school-age family unit member joining you in Australia is
expected to attend school in Australia. You must provide
evidence of enrolment for them if you wish them to be
granted a student visa as a family unit member. In most cases,
public and private schools charge fees for family unit members
of student visa holders. You should check the exact fee with
the school where your family unit member will be studying.
You are responsible for their education costs in Australia.
Your partner will have a condition placed on their visa that
limits their period of study in Australia to a maximum of
3 months. If they wish to undertake study beyond this period
they must apply for a student visa in their own right.